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“If We Ruled The World” – a youth-led collaborative song

In August of 2013 a number of our mentors successfully applied to the Youth Action Grant offered by Toronto Community Housing.

One of the ideas from Kareem was to pull together some of the talent in Success Beyond Limits to create an original song.

Seeing an overlap, Kareem’s project was included in the multi-media art project that he was a part of titled “If We Ruled The World”, being delivered through a partnership through the Art Gallery of York University and SBL.

“If We Ruled The World” is finally complete.  Take in the talent and wisdom of SBL Mentors Aliyah, Kareem, Moose, Deshawn and Destiny.

Opening: Aliyah

Verse 1: Moose

Verse 2: Kareem

Verse 3: Deshawn

Chorus: Destiny

You can download the track by clicking on the link below.

SBL Mentors- If We Ruled The World (Produced by Octave aka Stel Bomber)

What Up T.O!

TOP 10 List

Right about this time of year there are Top 10 lists everywhere you turn.  In that vein, we have a list of our own (in NO particular order).

10.  New Team Members: adding Bryan Brown (Youth Outreach Worker) and Toota Hassanien (After School Supervisor).  Two exceptional new members of the SBL family!

9.  Collaboration: we can not list them all here, but the people, committees, organizations, agencies, funders, ministries, advisors, and partners that have stood with us in ways great and small define so much of what is possible through organic, authentic collaboration.

8.  Space (217 and Osgoode): We have been growing into our amazing space at Westview Centennial and we were welcomed into the beautifully renovated Osgoode Hall Law School at York U.  It’s not just having space, but the type of space that makes the difference.

7.  Coming Together Through Difficult Times: one only needs to have turned on the news this past year to know how many young people in the Jane and Finch community lost their lives tragically.  What was not shared across the city was how youth, mentors, and caring-adults came together and found strength in the bonds and love shared.

6.  Sharing Knowledge and Experience: our staff and mentors make a point of sharing our model and experiences wherever possible with the hope that other communities can learn from and take from what we have been a part of in Jane and Finch.  This past summer a community collective launched a summer program for youth in Malvern after inviting us to come out and share what we do and how we do it.

5.  A Special Graduation: SBL as an organization was founded in June of 2010, and one of the major forces behind this were the students that were in grade 9 that year.  This past June we witnessed many of those students take their final steps as Westview students across the stage to mark their secondary school graduation.

4. Our Mentees: Every summer we feel like our new grade 9s come in and make the program the best that it’s ever been.  Well that’s how we felt again this year.

3. Our Mentors: when the grade 9s come in, we know they will become mentors one day (but it is hard to imagine).  This year we really saw the inverse of that: mentees that had become mentors and shown so much growth that it was hard to remember them as grade 9s.

2. Our Parents: our programming is focused on youth and you want find much on our website about parents.  That said, a great deal of the work of our staff is meeting with parents, taking/making calls, and partnering on supporting students through barriers and towards success.  Many of the most touching moments of this past year were between parents, our staff and our students.

1. Our Teachers: every year we assemble a phenomenal team of eight Toronto District School Board teachers (via Continuing Education).  These are teachers that motivate 100+ thirteen and fourteen years olds to be on a school bus at 8am for six-weeks, who partner with senior high school students as mentors in the delivery of the credit, who build long-lasting relationships, and who embrace the power of community and school partnerships in empowering students.

Bryan Brown is committed to youth succeeding in all areas of their lives.  You aren’t likely to hear him say it, but watch him for a day and it is obvious.  His dedication to youth and community and his deep history in the North-West end of Toronto are among the reasons why Success Beyond Limits is so excited to have him as our first ever Youth Outreach Worker.

He joined our team in November, and dove right into the role adding another supportive face to our space and programming.  His ability to convey high expectations and deep caring in his interactions broke the ice of being ‘new’ right away.  His years of experience working with the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and his extensive experience as a youth basketball coach have given him phenomenal skills for the position.

His focus will be expanding the reach of our programs and supports in the community, engaging youth facing significant barriers, and supporting them in identifying and making positive changes.

Bryan Brown can be reached at b.brown@successbl.com

SBL has been in existence since 2010 and since that time hundreds of students have completed our various social and academic programs – all based on our our growth model where students progress from mentee (in 8^th and 9^th grade) to volunteer (in 10^th grade) and to mentor in their latter years of high school. Students are supported by SBL just before the start of high school and throughout these important and formative years. The relationships staff have with SBL alumni does not end when students go on to Post-Secondary Education, many come back in various capacities (board members, paid tutors, volunteers, recreational staff, staff members).

On Saturday January, 4, 2014, SBL will bring together previous mentors that are now in college and university for a day full of workshops, food and fun activities. The purpose will be to explore some of the success and challenges that mentors have faced in their first year of post-secondary education. The day will focus on how SBL can further support their educational goals.  Workshops will be conducted that examine funding, time management, social life and networking, course load, and life after post-secondary education. The workshops will be facilitated by SBL teacher Samuel Tecle and SBL Teacher/Academic and Social Co-ordinator Tesfai Mengesha.

The summer is an exciting time for SBL. Our 6-week summer program takes place at York University, where students going into grade 9 receive their first high school credit. This year the summer program was hosted in the stunningly beautiful Osgoode Hall Law School. For a full recap you can download our summer report below.

sbl-SummerReport-vfinal

SBL Program Manager, Kaneka Watkins is currently attending the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) in Detroit. The conference brings together NABSE members, superintendents, principals, school board members, education human resource professionals, deans, professors, education department heads, administrative/educational support staff, teachers, parents, curriculum specialists and students for various education workshops and tours of schools in Detroit. Below are some pictures of the conference.

See the agenda here:

http://www.cvent.com/events/national-alliance-of-black-school-educators-41st-annual-conference/agenda-c2f6da49609a447b8ec38750ac5b05c3.aspx

York University graduate student and SBL teacher Sam Tecle has been honoured with the  North York Mirror’s Urban Hero Award, for his notable contribution to education and for being a role model for youth living in the Jane and Finch community. 

“I am blessed, honoured and humbled by this award. The recognition serves as a validation of my work and motivation to continue on,” says Tecle who is a doctoral candidate in sociology, in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies.

“For me, it was always an idea that where I lived and the community I was part of, that giving back was important. And for me, that was always through education,” Tecle told The Mirror, upon receiving the award.

“I am thrilled that Sam is a recipient of this respected award, which honours grassroots level heroes for their efforts, sacrifices and contributions, having positive impact on our communities,” says York Faculty of Education Professor Carl James, who is Tecle’s PhD supervisor and nominator for the award. “Sam is an example of the many students doing exemplary work through involvement in neighbourhood community initiatives at York University.”

This summer, Tecle taught Grade 9 students from the Jane and Finch community attending a six-week program, Success Beyond Limits. The program is a joint initiative of York University and Jays Care Foundation, in partnership with the Toronto District School Board. Sponsored by the Faculty of Education, the program was conducted in technology enhanced classrooms of Osgoode Hall Law School.

The Sudanese-born immigrant of Eritrean descent has been a youth facilitator, focusing on educational attainment, sex education, as well as personal and career development with many community organizations across the Greater Toronto Area. Tecle was among the 16 recipients, in the categories of arts and culture, health and science, education, sports, environment, business and community, who received their awards at a ceremony, Nov. 5.

http://yfile.news.yorku.ca/2013/11/12/york-university-student-is-celebrated-as-an-urban-hero/

As Hip Hop further entrenches itself in the academy, its use in the classroom is becoming more prevalent. SBL’s Academic and Social Coordinator, Tesfai Mengesha has been a part of the process of developing a Hip Hop Curriculum, in the role of a writer. The Hip Hop Curriculum has been developed through a partnership with the Toronto District School Board, Educational Attainment West, and the Toronto Hip Hop community.

On November 4, 2013 members of the project presented elements of the curriculum to an eager group of York University teacher candidates. The curriculum provides students with the opportunity to bring their lived experiences into the classroom to make the lessons meaningful through their analysis of various media forms. The lessons explore and critically examined schools, communities, economic structures, homophobia, race, class and gender norms.

The SBL growth model envisions students going from mentee to volunteer to mentor. For Japjit Singh his journey had a gap.  In the summer of 2009, Japjit Singh was a mentee in our summer program. As the school year came around, he retreated away from many of the extra curricular activities Westview had to offer including the SBL after-school program. It wasn’t until this past summer Japjit found himself searching for a co-op placement.

Although SBL had already hired all the mentors and the volunteer positions were full, SBL program manager, Kaneka Watkins decided to interview him. Impressed by his maturity and sense of responsibility during the interview, Japjit became the Volunteer Coordinator – tasked with training and overseeing all volunteer duties for the summer program, a position previously designated for senior mentors.

Prior to the summer Japjit described himself as reclusive and reserved. “I didn’t think I’d like working with kids. I used to think working alone was the best option. Now I actually welcome an environment with other people. I didn’t consider myself an interpersonal type of person. Working with SBL I was able to express myself in words and speech rather than being a shy and an introverted person.” He goes on to say “I didn’t realize how much I loved working with kids, it is a role I can help others and be myself.”

Japjit has now transitioned from co-op student/volunteer during this past summer into the role of mentor. Going into his final year of high school, Japit is most looking forward to “advancing within the SBL organization, taking on more responsibility and continuing to grow.”

Describe your journey with SBL?

It started out in middle school when they came to Oakdale  and told us about the program, I was like, “whoa something to do as a student for the summer.”  Being at Westview, I lost touch with the program at first.  Then my whole grade 11 year, I wasn’t the best student and had issues/problems. SBL surrounded me with people that helped to motivate me. I would of probably been at home being depressed watching movies and not talking to anyone. Once I got support, I began volunteering.  Leading up to the summer, all of the mentor positions were filled, but based on what I was doing with the school year program, there was a way to get involved as Volunteer Coordinator.

Describe experience during the summer?

Amazing, I didn’t realize how much I love working with kids, a role where I can help others and be yourself. Being in a job where you rely less on following direct orders and straight following the cookie cutter directions, but get to make decisions, apply your own creativity, and think on your feet was great.

Describe your most memorable moment during the summer?

Waking up every single day and being to say good morning with a smile on my face. Having a reason to smile every morning. I’m not always the most visibly happiest person, but working with SBL made me really happy.

Growth as a person?

I didn’t think I’d like working with kids. I used to think working alone is the best option. I now actually welcome an environment with other people – more minds are better.

I didn’t consider myself an interpersonal type of person. Working with SBL, I was able to express myself in words and speech rather than being shy and introverted person.